Senate panel approves Labor-HHS funding bill

The Senate Appropriations Committee today voted 30-1 to approve legislation that would provide $164.1 billion in discretionary funding for the departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education in fiscal year 2018. According to the committee, the bill would provide $79.4 billion for HHS, $1.7 billion more than this year before cap adjustments. The HHS funding includes a $2 billion increase for the National Institutes of Health; $10 million increase for the Office of Medicare Hearings and Appeals; $5 million increase for Children’s Hospitals Graduate Medical Education; and $4.5 million increase for rural health programs. It also includes $816 million to fight opioid abuse, a 440% increase since FY 2016. The bill does not provide funding for the Affordable Care Act’s risk corridor program or Independent Payment Advisory Board.